Last Call - Orlando Sentinelhttp://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall
Sentinel Bars & Clubs columnist Kelly Fitzpatrick covers Orlando nightlife, bars and clubsMon, 26 Sep 2011 17:15:16 +0000http://wordpress.org/?v=abcenhourly1Motley Crue Costume Party this weekendhttp://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2011/07/motley-crue-costume-party-this-weekend.html
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2011/07/motley-crue-costume-party-this-weekend.html#commentsWed, 06 Jul 2011 17:23:13 +0000Kelly Fitzpatrickhttp://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/?p=2064Break out your favorite acid-washed jeans and your “Shout At The Devil” T-shirt from one of the boxes in the attic and head over to Little Fish Huge Pond on July 8 for its “Motley Crue Costume Party.”

DJ Stone Crazy (aka Patrick Scott Barnes) will be spinning some of your favorite hair-band hits from the ’80s. If you dress up like Vince, Tommy, Nikki, Mick or anybody from the hit musical “Rock of Ages” you’ll receive a free shot. Heck, if you look like you were in the movie “Flashdance” they’ll probably give you a shot, too. The idea is bring the ’80s and have a good time.

The party is free and starts at 9 p.m. Little Fish Huge Pond is at 309 E. First St., downtown Sanford; call 407-221-1499.

Last month I went on the Sanford Downtown Pub Crawl and had a great time. This month it has expanded to 10 bars around downtown Sanford.

Starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Ellen’s Wine Room, you can go to Little Fish Huge Pond, The Wet Spot, The Alley, A Blues Bar, Sanford Wine Company, Fat Rat’s Lounge, Jason’s Martini Bar, Spanky’s Saloon, The West End Trading Company and Gator Gary’s for drink specials and live entertainment.

The event is free and if you need to spend the night, the Lake Monroe Old South Motel has room specials.

Little Fish Huge Pond, will also be throwing its “2nd Annual Ain’t Patty’s Day Luau” that day at 9 p.m. where the staff asks you to dress like a Polynesian leprechaun. There will be a lei contest, where the person with the most creative Polynesian neckwear made of recycled materials wins a cash prize.

Call Little Fish Huge Pond at 407-221-1499 for more information on both events; to book a room at the Lake Monroe Old South Motel call 407-323-1910.

]]>http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2011/03/sanford-pub-crawl-this-saturday.html/feed0Fat Rats Lounge in Sanford just got fatterhttp://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/08/fat-rats-lounge-in-sanford-just-got-fatter.html
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/08/fat-rats-lounge-in-sanford-just-got-fatter.html#commentsWed, 11 Aug 2010 20:19:08 +0000Kelly Fitzpatrickhttp://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/?p=1189I just got off the phone with Jason Turner, owner of Fat Rats Lounge and Jason’s Martini Club in Sanford. He tells me he just expanded Fat Rats another 1000 square feet and will be opening the expansion on Sept. 2.

He says it will still have that 1920s look with “LED color changing prettiness.” Those LEDs will continue throughout the expansion, including in the glass counter top bar and in the original black and white photos of Sanford Avenue in the early 1900s. He also said that there are drink rails in the new space constructed out of beams from a building that stood in Sanford in the 1890s. There will be two pool tables and three dart boards. And, since Fat Rats is non-smoking, there is now outside cafe seating.

But Turner is not stopping there, once this phase of the expansion is completed, he’ll be starting up on the third phase. That will add on another 1000 square feet and include a full-service restaurant. He hopes to have it completed by October. Fat Rats is at 410 S. Sanford Ave. in Sanford, call 407-321-5686.

Those of you who are fans of Jason’s Martini Bar in Sanford, will be happy to hear owner Jason Turner will be opening a new lounge in Sanford and the grand opening is tonight.

Fat Rats Lounge, at 410 S. Sanford Ave. , will have a 1920s speakeasy vibe according to Turner. The grand opening party starts at 9 p.m. tonight and Turner will have a live band playing music from the ’20s and Bacardi girls giving out samples and prizes. There is no cover.

Turner says the bar is full liquor but the drinks and atmosphere are meant to be as authentic as possible.

“For instance, we don’t use soda guns,” says Turner, referring to mixed drinks at the bar. “We use baby Cokes instead.” He says, in his opinion, not only is it true to the era but the drink tastes better too.

I’ll find out tonight for myself when I brave the cold and the rain to let my inner-flapper loose in Sanford.

And since, we’re speaking of Sanford there has been an update on The Wire, the blues bar I wrote about a couple of weeks back. If you remember it was called The Alley originally but a legal argument was preventing the new managment from retaining the name. Well, I was told yesterday the legal woes are now over and The Alley is back in not just spirit, but name as well.

]]>http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/02/fat-rats-lounge-opens-tonight.html/feed0Route 46 changes its hourshttp://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/01/route-46-changes-its-hours.html
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/01/route-46-changes-its-hours.html#commentsThu, 21 Jan 2010 20:08:16 +0000Kelly Fitzpatrickhttp://orlandosentinel3.com/lastcall/?p=422If you’re looking to check out the Route 46 Entertainment District at 4316 W. S.R. 46 in Sanford, which I’ve written about a couple of times, its hours have recently changed. The complex that is home to The Smokehouse, Garage Bar, The Saloon and Monroe’s just announced its new hours of operation. The Smokehouse will stay open daily from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and open at 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday for breakfast. Garage Bar will be open Wednesday-Thursday from 5 p.m.- midnight and 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The Saloon and Monroe’s will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 5-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5-11 p.m.
]]>http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/01/route-46-changes-its-hours.html/feed0Historic Downtown Sanford Pub Crawl tonighthttp://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/01/historic-downtown-sanford-pub-crawl-tonight.html
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/01/historic-downtown-sanford-pub-crawl-tonight.html#commentsFri, 08 Jan 2010 19:27:47 +0000Kelly Fitzpatrickhttp://orlandosentinel3.com/lastcall/?p=376

Wayne Densch presents the pub crawl that is $15 per person and includes a free drink and food at each stop. Call any of the participating venues to buy tickets or get more information.

]]>http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/01/historic-downtown-sanford-pub-crawl-tonight.html/feed1The Alley becomes The Wire in Sanfordhttp://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/01/the-alley-becomes-the-wire-in-sanford.html
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/lastcall/2010/01/the-alley-becomes-the-wire-in-sanford.html#commentsThu, 07 Jan 2010 23:31:38 +0000Kelly Fitzpatrickhttp://orlandosentinel3.com/lastcall/?p=366Those of you that were fans of The Alley, A Blues Bar in Sanford, will be happy to hear the bar has reopened. It’s now called The Wire, but the new owners are looking to bring back the same blues bar feel to Sanford.

According to Jillian Share, who is doing marketing for The Wire, when The Alley was bought from Donna Champion and Sandy Holcomb (the original owners) several months ago, changes in cover charges and management caused many regulars to go elsewhere. The bar ended up closing its doors due to financial concerns and the new owners took off. Share’s boyfriend and his brother approached Champion and Holcomb about buying the bar and bringing it back to its former self and they agreed. The name is still in litigation, so to not cause any problems, the new owners of The Wire have changed the name temporarily until any legal concerns are cleared up.

“We want it back to the way it was,” says Share. “It was always successful.”

And because of that success the blues bands are back too. This month Josh Miller plays Jan. 8 -9, Mike Dugan plays Jan. 15-16, Soul Cactus plays the bar’s five-year anniversary (of when the original The Alley opened) on Jan. 22-23 and Deuces Wild play on Jan. 29-30.